Le Bernardin

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Ken B.

Joined 7 months ago

Le meilleur!

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FryeGurl

Joined 2 years ago

AMAZING!!!. can eric rupert do wrong? i think not. i was lucky enough to get to come to le bernardin for dinner recently and i was totally blown away. the hamachi was delicate and balanced, the langoustine was meaty without being overpowering, and the lamb was better than anything i've had. swoon!

Doesn't Recommend

chartenb

Joined 7 years ago

Place for the wannabe upper class. My wife and I have made it a hobby to try as many restaurants in Manhattan as we can, given the city's wide variety of choices. For her round birthday, I wanted to surprise my wife with a truly special place, and I had read and heard a lot about Le Bernardin, so I gave it a shot.

To sum it up: it was a huge disappointment for both of us. The atmosphere is exceptionally stiff, the average age in the (very well populated) dining room was about 60 (I am not exaggerating), and the whole experience felt like dining in a museum. We went for the 4-course menu: the food was very good. That said, food tends to be very good in 95% of Manhattan's upscale restaurants, so that's sort of a given and not really a great differentiator anymore. The price was pretty steep ($300 including tip, and we did not have any alcohol): but again, that's what can be expected....for a great dining experience, which this was clearly not. To be perfectly candid: Le Bernardin feels like the kind of place that upper middle-class people frequent when they think they are rich. For example, I don't think you would find a lot of celebrities in a place like the Bernardin. But you will likely find a lot of people there who think they are, or should be celebrities.

The staff was not exactly unfriendly, but again, they made you feel like they were there to teach the plebs some "etiquette" -- which to me, is an utterly ridiculous, old-fashioned, and almost touristy concept.

If you want to spend a few hundred bucks and have a great evening, go to Megu, Kittichai, Tao, Nobu or one of the upscale steakhouses in the city. Spending a lot of money on food in Manhattan is easy, but the results can be vastly different.

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keralaa

Joined 4 years ago

Taste of perfection. Definitely worth trying

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Kawea

Joined 4 years ago

I can't get it out of my head even after 2 years!. I haven't been to Le Bernardin recently but I've been wanting to go back for the past 2 years. It's the kind of place that sticks with you, from the taste to the atmosphere to the staff. It's just a wonderful place. The only down fall is that I can't afford to eat here even once a year! But if you can put down a few hundred for a special occasion or person I would recommend going to Le Bernardin as much as you can...and bring me something back!

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trlyclsc

Joined 6 years ago

Very nice. Went for lunch and it was delightful. Had 3 apps, 2 entrees, 3 desserts.

Nicely plated, a couple dishes didnt really wow me for a 4 star restaurant though. I guess I just expected a lot more. The desserts which I had been told by someone else in the food industry, was their best part was eh. I liked 1 out 3. It was the chocolate peanut that was great. citrus-praline sorbet was outstanding. They combined 2 flavors I'm not hot on and made it fabulous.

Chocolate hickory was too much chocolate and not enough hickory. 3rd one I cant recall.

The 6$ capp wasnt good at all for that price. It was literally 80% foam. +there were coffee grounds. I did not finish that. All in all, good for a $240 lunch.

Ill go back for dinner and try again.

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dallas_foodie

Joined 7 years ago

bon appetit. i was disappointed to see that the 'top chef' entrees were absent from the menu but we were able to find solace in the almost raw (hamachi, geoduck), barely touched (lobster carpaccio, salted cod) and lightly cooked (monkfish) items. aside from an inadvertent gob of icing on the side of my dessert plate the service was flawless, if not notable. trust me, they are quick to rectify their gaffes and apologetic to the point of awkwardness when the slightest tic occurs. based on our experience i am surprised others on this site called them out for sluggish service, considering we were there on a busy Saturday night; maybe they changed their MO in the past few months.

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JeanPaul53

Joined 4 years ago

Very Delicious. I dined here this weekend with my family. We all enjoyed our food. The oysters were the freshest I've had.

Our group ordered many things, from lamb chops, to steak, to red snapper and everything was so delicious.

The desserts were wonderful

It was a bit pricey, but worth the money for such quality.

I will be back again.

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anjelik32

Joined 5 years ago

Words cannot describe this place. My boyfriend took me to Le Bernardin for Valentine's Day this year and I can't even describe how wonderful our meal was. Everything we tried melted in our mouths, which is why I guess it is considered one of the best seafood restaurants in the world. I will definitely be returning to Le Bernardin in the future,

Doesn't Recommend

tatsianaperidot

Joined 4 years ago

there are far better ways to spend your money. The stars are strictly for service. Regarding food, I've never in my life had salty kumamotos, these oysters are naturally some of the sweetest ones, so please, how in the world can you screw them up? The scallop appetizer was literary one scallop sliced into 5 pieces as if on a mandolin, as was the octopus. If you break it down it's $60 for both dishes, while a whole pound of those baby octopuses costs $3.99 and something like $18.99 for a pound of scallops. In general I would splurge on great tasting food no matter the quantity, but this was nothing special, my boyfriend even mentioned that he'd trade this octopus for the one I make at home any day... And the place is full! Don't people know any better?

The only thing that was 3 stars was the service - impeccable. I wish the money we spent there would go straight to the waiters, sommeliers and maitre d.